The wild mushroom and truffle oil dim sum at The Fatty Bao is a thing of a beauty. Pungent, earthy aromas of truffles smack you the moment you open the lid of the Chinese steamer. Inside sit six boat-shaped dim sums with beetroot-purple stained wrappings, topped with edamame beans. The dim sums, filled with a mix of chopped mushrooms and, for a bit of crunch, chopped snow fungus, will appeal to both the vegetarian and the carnivore.

With a fun space and a menu that crackles, it’s not surprising that Fatty Bao, by serial restaurateurs AD Singh, Manu Chandra and Chetan Rampal, has been packed from the day it opened. We had to call a week in advance just to get a mid-week booking.

In a kind of Alibaba moment, an unassuming red gate opens into a tiny passage, which leads to a brightly lit area. Outside, in the al-fresco patio, one bright blue wall is painted with an Oriental-style food story map. Beyond the patio is the main dining area that has Chinese tangram-inspired floor tiles. On the tables sit salt and pepper shakers that have superimposed Japanese Kokeshi doll designs on them.

We are seated inside, in an alcove across from the bar. We order one each of the deep maroon, raspberry-flavoured whisky sours and the orange-hued Mandalay Bay that are flying off the bar counter. Both signature cocktails are good, but we found the berry-tanginess of the whisky sour more interesting than the citrus-y Mandalay.

The wild mushroom and truffle oil dim sum was a thing of beauty.

We begin with the char sui bao; a plump fluffy white bao with a filling of meltingly soft pork, draped in a sweet, sticky, hoisin sauce. Next up is the brie tempura wedges topped with the Japanese spice mix shichimi togarashi — an exotic, Oriental version of cheese pakoras.

Moving on to mains, we order a bowl of somewhat disappointing cho su ramen. The broth and noodles are fine, but the pork belly and bacon lack richness and we leave it mostly untouched. Thick, sour and spicy, the chicken kapitan curry — full of kafir lime and basil flavours — is so good you can slurp it just by itself.

And while the lemon sable was missing from our green tea chiffon cake, the lemony freshness of the yuzu parfait and the yuzu sorbet more than made up for it.

Fatty Bao is so enjoyable because it serves very serious food without making you think too much about what you’re eating, in a really casual, laid-back space.

(HT pays for all meals, and reviews anonymously)

Abu Dhabi wealth fund keen on India infra bonds

Government of India bonds to be issued specifically for funding big ticket infrastructure projects have attracted the interest of the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, which has a corpus of over $600 billion.

“The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority has shown interest to invest in the government of India (infra) bonds,” a senior commerce ministry official, who is part of the high-level task force on investment with UAE, told Hindustan Times.

Finance minister P Chidambaram, as part of his forthcoming budget proposals, is expected to announce this special category of bonds.

“Returns on infrastructure in India are among the highest in the world and we have already received a proposal from the Abu Dhabi’s SWF, which is keen to invest in emerging economies such as India, China and Brazil,” the official said.

An announcement on the exact quantum of investments by Abu Dhabi Investment is expected to be made during commerce minister Anand Sharma’s three-day visit to UAE, the official said.

The possibility of setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary or a joint venture with an Indian financial institution such as IDFC or IL&FS for long-term infrastructure investment is also being explored.

Channelising investments from global SWFs is part of the finance ministry’s plan to boost foreign direct investment (FDI) in Indian infrastructure.

A sub-group comprising of senior officials from the RBI, finance ministry, private companies, SEBI, IRDA and top financial institutions had in a recent report to the government recommended tapping global SWFs, private equity investors and strategic international investors to meet the high investment targets of the 12th Five Year Plan.

India has a targeted investment of close to $1 trillion (R54 lakh crore) in infrastructure during the 12th Plan period (2012-17). Abu Dhabi Investment is one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds.